Oh Florida! An East Meets West Girl's TR: 8/9 p56 & 8/17 p57

[MEK]

Finishing off the ride with some hitch hiking ghosts.





Once outside we passed Mine Train again





And once again we were immediately envious of THESE people.





All I can say is “NO FAIR!"











Seriously? They are having WAY too much fun!



Enough of that torture…er, I mean fun.

Let’s turn our attention here, shall we?



Our lunch destination (even though we were still full from that incredible breakfast).



It was just too hard to pass up an ADR here for lunch, so let’s go see what’s on the menu.





I have to admit - I like how they convert the restaurant from QS to TS. That took a bit of preplanning.



Decisions Decisions. Made even harder by the fact that I wasn’t completely hungry. But, hey, I would find a way around that.



I decided to go with the quiche.

The nice thing about lunch is we could pick the dining room we wanted to sit in, so you know we had to go here.



My pictures stink, in part because I probably STILL had my distance lens on.



So, um, yeah - that’s about it. Sorry.



I did photograph this in the main dining room, but I really have trouble with the light in here.



Ugh. Everything just looks gold tinged.



I am fascinated by the fake snow. I think this area is done so well.



Continued In the Next Post

 

[MEK]

I tried to get a close up.





Love this!







I guess I didn’t take a picture of lunch. If I did, it was on my phone and I haven’t found it yet. Sorry. I think I was getting a little pictured-out by this point.

WAIT. I FOUND IT!



In case you were wondering - the quiche was good, but salad right out of the bag with nothing on it but a little dressing….well - not exactly my favorite. Just sayin!

My next pictures are of the “original” castle.





Moving on



Looks like we were heading out.

One of my traditional balloon pictures.



I LOVE balloons!



We must have ducked into the stores on Main Street.



I think of Jenny (rentayenta) when I see this picture since her DH is a firefighter. I also love this because I am considered a “volunteer firefighter” since I belong to a fire company marching band.



On the way out I saw this. I always hate seeing emergency vehicles at the park because it can never mean something good.



So at this point I’m sort of torn as to whether to finish out the day or stop.

Hmmmmmm…..

OK, well twist my arm. Let’s finish out more of the day, shall we? Why not?

At this point we headed back to OKW to get ready for our spa session that afternoon. I think DVC was offering some type of promotion. Cynthia will have to tell you what she scheduled, but I decided to schedule the reflexology massage. I have no idea why I picked this. It sounded good at the time.

To be honest, I’m not a huge spa person. I know people love it, and maybe its my age, but I always think of it as something non-essential. When I was a teenager and young adult people just didn’t go to the “spa”. People didn’t have manicures and pedicures. If they did, they had a huge amount of expendable income. It just wasn’t something that “regular” people did on a regular basis. Now its pretty much routine, but somewhere along the line I just never came along with this trend.

I know. I know. I am totally missing out on something indulgent and wonderful. I guess I just feel awkward with massages. I am used to putting my hands on a lot of people considering the type of work I do. I just will never be completely comfortable with people putting their hands on me.

But this was a girl’s trip, so why the heck not.

We wore our bathing suits under casual clothes and walked over to SSR. Once again, I can’t tell you how wonderful our OKW location was. Just perfect for sharing time with our neighboring resort.

We hung out here until its was our appointment time.



Seriously, this pool is so nice. SSR has some of the nicest pools. I’m not gonna lie - it was hard to leave. (I actually took this picture AFTER our spa session, so just pretend it was taken with the sun higher in the sky and more people around).

Then we headed over to check-in. I took this picture of the gym because SSR really does have a nice fitness facility and its adjacent to the spa.



Here is the locker room for the spa.





And the amazing hot tub that we didn’t use, but it looked so nice.







We did get a glass of wine with our promotion, so after we changed into our robes we sipped some wine. Ahhhhh.





Continued In the Next Post

 

[MEK]

In my reflexology massage my “guy” (I forget his name) worked on both my neck and my feet. These are my two problem areas. He also worked other areas and explained to me how each area is attached to an organ or body structure. He sort of gave me a quiz at the end of the session, but that’s probably because I kept asking questions. I was most interested in his training. You know, being in health care and having a scientific mind, I really wanted to get a sense as to whether reflexology is bunk or actually based in science.

I am still undecided.

I did learn that he also taught massage therapy at a local community college and his credentials were fairly impressive.

Here’s a reflexology foot chart. I had it almost memorized by the end of my session.
What can I say. I am a nerd when it comes to anatomy.



After the massage we sat in another room where we were offered flavored water. I sat and sipped water and wine while I waited for Cynthia. That was quite lovely and I was feeling very, very relaxed.

I can’t remember how long I sat there. Long enough to need a bio break from all the water I drank. Figures. But my massage guy did tell me to stay well hydrated because he had released a lot of toxins into my blood stream. Yeah - not sure if I buy that either.

We could have hung out there longer, but Cynthia wanted to drop off the gift card and the gift for our DIS friend Kat. Kat was due to check in to SSR the next day and we wanted to leave it for her at the desk.

Here’s another picture of the main pool that was taken at the “right” time of day.

We decided to head over to the Turf club to get a glass of wine and fill out the card for Kat. There is a small bar area to the right.



It’s really a cute lounge area



We ended up seating ourselves outside adjacent to the restaurant area.



The view from our table



This was such a nice quiet area away from any possible hustle and bustle



The parking lot to the left of our table



We even had a great view of the boat dock.



We enjoyed our wine while Cynthia packaged the gift and wrote everyones name on the card.





We took everything to the front desk.

But now what? It was now dinner time. Should we go back to the room and shower or just keep going? We were close to the Turf Club and would we find some other dining establishment to catch our fancy?

 

[franandaj]

The HM pictures are great! Love all the close ups!

I'm a total spa person, always have been. Love people rubbing my shoulders and stuff like that. Thanks for the pictures of the remodeled spa. I haven't been there since the refurb, maybe it deserves a visit on my December trip. I've been on the fence about whether to do it on the Dream or at SSR. I'm not sure about reflexology either. I like the idea of how everything corresponds to a part of the body, just not sure I really buy it. I find a full body massage much more relaxing and fulfilling than just the feet.

A drink at the Turf Club sounds like a very relaxing way to end up a day like that! So envious, even if it was almost a year ago!

 

[Pinkocto]

I used to not be interested in the spa but over the last couple years I've grown to LOVE it! The remodeled area at SSR looks beautiful. I might have to incorporate that into my future plans.

BoG lunch is quite scrumptious, I was surprised how good it was. Too bad your salad was little more than greens out of a bag. Hopefully they were at least fresh greens.

Fun that your HM fish picture stumped people on FB.

So nice of you ladies to leave that giftcard for your friend at check-in. I bet she was over the moon when she got that!

Looking forward to where you ended up for dinner.

 

[HockeyMomR]

Mary Ellen - Wow - great update! Yes, you certainly did capture "artsy" with the wheel of the Liberty Belle. Also, yes, you stumped me with your HM FB picture!

Spa looks very nice. I am just relaxed reading along.....maybe it was that wine picture at the end!

Rebecca

 

[MEK]

The HM pictures are great! Love all the close ups!

Thanks. I really try so hard to get pics in there but the ISO on my camera doesn't go to 3200 so its always a struggle. And then I am always switching back and forth between auto focus and manual and the switch is not easy to manipulate in the dark. Oh the woes of a photographer wanna-be.

I'm a total spa person, always have been. Love people rubbing my shoulders and stuff like that. Thanks for the pictures of the remodeled spa. I haven't been there since the refurb, maybe it deserves a visit on my December trip. I've been on the fence about whether to do it on the Dream or at SSR.

Pam says the Dream is the BEST. I did sneak a peek at the Rainforest room when we were on the Dream in October. I also asked a few questions about some of the classes they had there. But the guy in the fitness center/spa at the time seemed to be a super fitness freak and I felt a little odd conversing with him. He started telling me about a completely different class then the one I asked about. It had to do with clean eating. On a Disney cruise? Or any cruise? Yeah, right.

I'm not sure about reflexology either. I like the idea of how everything corresponds to a part of the body, just not sure I really buy it. I find a full body massage much more relaxing and fulfilling than just the feet.

Exactly. I think a full massage would have been better, but this was interesting so I'm glad I tried it.

A drink at the Turf Club sounds like a very relaxing way to end up a day like that! So envious, even if it was almost a year ago!

It WAS almost a year ago, wasn't it? And that glass of wine and view really does look pretty good right now.

I used to not be interested in the spa but over the last couple years I've grown to LOVE it! The remodeled area at SSR looks beautiful. I might have to incorporate that into my future plans.

I probably could get more into the Spa thing. Looking at those pictures does give me this feeling of instant relaxation and it really was lovely there.

BoG lunch is quite scrumptious, I was surprised how good it was. Too bad your salad was little more than greens out of a bag. Hopefully they were at least fresh greens.

I really enjoyed the quiche and, yes, the greens were fresh, but just totally blah. Like throw a couple carrots or something in there PLEASE!

Fun that your HM fish picture stumped people on FB.

I know, right? But taken out of context I guess it was harder to guess than I thought it would be.

So nice of you ladies to leave that giftcard for your friend at check-in. I bet she was over the moon when she got that!

She was still pretty emotional over the death of her grandmother because she had lost her mom not too many years before. I know she really appreciated everyone's thoughtfulness.

Looking forward to where you ended up for dinner.

Totally random and on the spur of the moment and it ended up being one of my favorite meals of the trip.

Mary Ellen - Wow - great update! Yes, you certainly did capture "artsy" with the wheel of the Liberty Belle. Also, yes, you stumped me with your HM FB picture!

Thanks! Glad you like me "artsy" attempt. It took me about 10 tries to get that picture.

Spa looks very nice. I am just relaxed reading along.....maybe it was that wine picture at the end!

Rebecca

The SSR spa was very nice and the wine at the end was the perfect way to end it all.

 

[jedijill]

What a great day! I love BOG even though the food isn't the greatest. I am a spa girl. It gets expensive but I love it.

Jill in CO

 

[Pinkocto]

Pam says the Dream is the BEST. I did sneak a peek at the Rainforest room when we were on the Dream in October.

You can't go wrong with any of the DCL ships. They are all amazing. Are you going on the Magic or Wonder in December? I look forward to hearing how you feel about the smaller ships in comparison to the Dream.

I also asked a few questions about some of the classes they had there. But the guy in the fitness center/spa at the time seemed to be a super fitness freak and I felt a little odd conversing with him. He started telling me about a completely different class then the one I asked about. It had to do with clean eating. On a Disney cruise? Or any cruise? Yeah, right.

sounds like he's passionate about health!

Exactly. I think a full massage would have been better, but this was interesting so I'm glad I tried it.

I probably could get more into the Spa thing. Looking at those pictures does give me this feeling of instant relaxation and it really was lovely there.

You absolutely must try a full massage at some point. You work so hard taking care of others, it's worth it to spend some money pampering yourself.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Love the HM pictures.

I don't know what it is about this ride. It's not a thrill ride or anything but the details inside are just amazing. You always see something new all the time.

Quiche/Lunch at BoG looked nice. Shame about the salad. They could have at least dressed it.

Spa day looks great. I don't mind indulging from time to time myself. I do prefer a more remedial style of massage and don't mind the reflexology methodology. It might not be Western mainstream medicine but there is a lot of Eastern methodology behind the technique.

Love the end of day drink at the Turf Club.

 

[Tracy161]

I love all your HM pictures! One can never have too many HM pictures!!!

Ugh, what a tease to see the Mine Train whizzing by!

I can pre-order my lunch for my BoG ADR on Tuesday... and I'm still undecided about what I want!

Awww, I love balloon pictures too! Just something extra magical about them. I think it's because I associate them with my childhood.

I'm not a spa person for the exact reasons you mentioned. Plus, the vast majority of my disposable income goes toward Disney trips and I don't want to part with it for things like the spa! But your reflexology session sounds super interesting!

 

[MEK]

What a great day! I love BOG even though the food isn't the greatest. I am a spa girl. It gets expensive but I love it.

Jill in CO

BOG for lunch was fun. I really wanted to try lunch because I already had dinner there once. It was a great lunch stop. Glad we were able to do it!

You can't go wrong with any of the DCL ships. They are all amazing. Are you going on the Magic or Wonder in December? I look forward to hearing how you feel about the smaller ships in comparison to the Dream.

We are on the Magic.

It's hard for me to even envision what the difference will be. I didn't find the Dream overwhelmingly large, but I don't think I explored enough of it (although I tried). I am sure I will still love the Magic. The one thing I know - as long as I have a verandah I will be fine. That's a necessity. I am really looking forward to this next cruise. Plus I love Palo. I definitely want to revisit, although I know I should try Remy too.

sounds like he's passionate about health!

Was he EVER. And he looked it, too! I mean - he looked perfect. Too perfect!

You absolutely must try a full massage at some point. You work so hard taking care of others, it's worth it to spend some money pampering yourself.

You're right. I do. It's on the bucket list!

 

[MEK]

Love the HM pictures.

Thanks. It's always a challenge for me to try to get pics in there. My camera's ISO setting only goes to 1600 and its awkward to keep switching between manual and auto focus. Sometimes I just have to enjoy the ride and just put the camera away.

I don't know what it is about this ride. It's not a thrill ride or anything but the details inside are just amazing. You always see something new all the time.

I LOVE HM. It's so cool. I agree - the details our outstanding. I always think about what it would be like to get stuck in there overnight and I know it was scare the crap out of me.

Quiche/Lunch at BoG looked nice. Shame about the salad. They could have at least dressed it.

That lettuce was definitely lacking. I can't even call it a salad.

Spa day looks great. I don't mind indulging from time to time myself. I do prefer a more remedial style of massage and don't mind the reflexology methodology. It might not be Western mainstream medicine but there is a lot of Eastern methodology behind the technique.

I would like to research it more, but its definitely interesting. But you're right - it definitely isn't something that you come across in Western medicine.

Love the end of day drink at the Turf Club.

Totally relaxing. It was hard to leave that spot!

I love all your HM pictures! One can never have too many HM pictures!!!

Thanks! And you are right. It would be fun to put together all the ones I have taken over the years.

Ugh, what a tease to see the Mine Train whizzing by!

That was such a tease. I'm not kidding. That was tough!

I can pre-order my lunch for my BoG ADR on Tuesday... and I'm still undecided about what I want!

Nice! I would have a hard time decided this early. Sometimes I am in the mood for specific foods and its hard to predict that because some of it is determined by what else you have eaten the day before. So good luck with that!

Awww, I love balloon pictures too! Just something extra magical about them. I think it's because I associate them with my childhood.

I, too, am completely infatuated with balloons. They are just so festive and dynamic. And, yes, getting a balloon as a child was always such an amazing treat!

I'm not a spa person for the exact reasons you mentioned. Plus, the vast majority of my disposable income goes toward Disney trips and I don't want to part with it for things like the spa! But your reflexology session sounds super interesting!

The spa is expensive. I hear ya. I have a tendency to think "hmmmm - I could be spending this money on such & such". The reflexology was interesting and I would definitely like to learn more about it because it IS something so different.

 

[Wood Nymph]

Your trip to SSR for the spa looks like it was very relaxing. I've only had a facial but that included a shoulder massage. It was heavenly. I never even considered getting a massage at WDW. It sounds like it might be a great way to relax.

 

[saintstickets]

Great update MEK! I love the pics too...don't sell yourself short on your photography skills...as Tony the Tiger says, "They'rrrre Great!"

I was with you on massages. I just wasn't too keen with a stranger putting their hands all over in places DW doesn't touch (but that's a different story for Dr. Phil!). DW has massages all the time but she has scoliosis and a titanium rod in her back so her muscles are always knotted up and the massages help her a lot. I had my first one when we went to Aulani in 2012. I scheduled a couples massage and by the time it was over, I wanted to ask the masseuse to go home with us! We returned home and I decided to try it again and it was horrible. This masseuse had no idea what she was doing. Finding a good one is difficult. A co-worker told me to try a different one that she used and it worked out great. It worked out so good that I took a vacant office at work, let the masseuse leave her table in the office and she comes by every Tuesday to give massages to anyone at the office that wants one! Now that's what I call a perk!

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

@DisneyKid4Life Rob- I have lost track- have you finally eaten at a table service restaurant yet (not looking for spoiler alerts if you haven't gotten to it in your current TR) or is your CS-only streak still intact. That factoid amazes me (and saddens me a little)

@natebenma Dee, I will neither confirm nor deny if a table service has happened. But mostly I will not deny.

I didn't realize that. I have to admit though, I am not a big fan of eating TS alone. I guess I just feel awkward.

To be honest Mary Ellen, that actually never entered into the equation for me. It was really the time commitment that pulled me away, and the fact that I may not be hungry at 5:30 on a Tuesday 6 months from now. Plus the stories I've read where people had to skip something they wanted to do because they had a reservation to get to. I may or may not have an example of that at some point in my TR for a ADR that may or may not have happened.

************

Awww I love when people wave from the Liberty Belle. It makes us all seem like we know each other, lol.

Love love love Haunted Mansion. And love love love your photos, inside and out. I know what you mean about the queue. But I guess if you have to wait in a standby line, there are worse ways to do it. Honestly, I kind of want some more time there sometimes to play.

I really love this shot. Almost like the train could fall off. It is too a thrill ride!

I've only been on BoG once (for lunch FYI), but they really did a smashing job. I adored being in the ballroom.

I love balloons too, but I especially love a whole gaggle of Disney balloons.

I just will never be completely comfortable with people putting their hands on me.

I'm the complete opposite. Of course, it depends on the person.

 

[SimplyGoofy]

Those are great pictures from the Haunted Mansion! The darkness of that ride never agrees with my camera.

I just love Be Our Guest - it's such a beautiful restaurant.

I'm not a big spa person either, but I love the occasional pedicure. I think it would be rather fun to get one of those in a Disney spa, especially if it would provide the opportunity to lay on one of those heated lounge chairs. I'm glad you enjoyed your experience!

 

[eandesmom]

I'm behind on my own TR again! Lol. As many of you know I've had major computer woes all week and couple that with running a half marathon last weekend (PR by 4 minutes, woot!) and getting ready for our spring break trip..no updates. Wah!

But I am having coffee on the lanai in waikiii as I type and am headed to brunch, Pearl Harbor and then Aulani.

Looks to be a great day!

 

[MEK]

Your trip to SSR for the spa looks like it was very relaxing. I've only had a facial but that included a shoulder massage. It was heavenly. I never even considered getting a massage at WDW. It sounds like it might be a great way to relax.

The SSR spa facilities were just lovely and it is a great way to relax on vacation. I'm very glad we built time for it into our girl's trip.

Great update MEK! I love the pics too...don't sell yourself short on your photography skills...as Tony the Tiger says, "They'rrrre Great!"

lol. You are far too kind. But thank you!

I was with you on massages. I just wasn't too keen with a stranger putting their hands all over in places DW doesn't touch (but that's a different story for Dr. Phil!). DW has massages all the time but she has scoliosis and a titanium rod in her back so her muscles are always knotted up and the massages help her a lot. I had my first one when we went to Aulani in 2012. I scheduled a couples massage and by the time it was over, I wanted to ask the masseuse to go home with us! We returned home and I decided to try it again and it was horrible. This masseuse had no idea what she was doing. Finding a good one is difficult. A co-worker told me to try a different one that she used and it worked out great. It worked out so good that I took a vacant office at work, let the masseuse leave her table in the office and she comes by every Tuesday to give massages to anyone at the office that wants one! Now that's what I call a perk!

Wow - talk about a massage convert! That's a great story. And definitely a great perk. I bet everyone in your office is nice and relaxed all the time.

@natebenma Dee, I will neither confirm nor deny if a table service has happened. But mostly I will not deny.

To be honest Mary Ellen, that actually never entered into the equation for me. It was really the time commitment that pulled me away, and the fact that I may not be hungry at 5:30 on a Tuesday 6 months from now. Plus the stories I've read where people had to skip something they wanted to do because they had a reservation to get to. I may or may not have an example of that at some point in my TR for a ADR that may or may not have happened.

************

I totally hear you on the preplanning part. Sometimes that ADR comes up and you think, "why did I plan this?" and other times it works out perfectly. The time commitment can be a bit of a drag. That is one of the reasons I stopped doing Ohana. When you get impatient at dinner because its dragging on too long, well you know its time to not go back...

Awww I love when people wave from the Liberty Belle. It makes us all seem like we know each other, lol.

Me too! It's so fun!

Love love love Haunted Mansion. And love love love your photos, inside and out. I know what you mean about the queue. But I guess if you have to wait in a standby line, there are worse ways to do it. Honestly, I kind of want some more time there sometimes to play.

It is fun to play in the queue but I always want to defer to the kids in line. I am very careful not to take over and get in there way.

I really love this shot. Almost like the train could fall off. It is too a thrill ride!

Thanks. Even though we couldn't ride Mine Train, it was fun watching the path of the train. But the best part was hearing everyone scream with excitement and watching their smiling faces.

I've only been on BoG once (for lunch FYI), but they really did a smashing job. I adored being in the ballroom.

The ballroom is awesome. It really is themed so well. Definitely a must do.

I love balloons too, but I especially love a whole gaggle of Disney balloons.

Agreed. They are just so festive!

I'm the complete opposite. Of course, it depends on the person.

[/QUOTE]

True. So true!

 

[MEK]

Those are great pictures from the Haunted Mansion! The darkness of that ride never agrees with my camera.

Thank you!

I know what you mean - it always looks "lighter" in there than it really is. Then you go to take pictures and most of them come out black or blurred.

I just love Be Our Guest - it's such a beautiful restaurant.

It really is. So much Disney eye candy in there. I really love it!

I'm not a big spa person either, but I love the occasional pedicure. I think it would be rather fun to get one of those in a Disney spa, especially if it would provide the opportunity to lay on one of those heated lounge chairs. I'm glad you enjoyed your experience!

It was a fun experience and even though I am not a spa person, I think it helped me inch a little closer.

I'm behind on my own TR again! Lol. As many of you know I've had major computer woes all week and couple that with running a half marathon last weekend (PR by 4 minutes, woot!) and getting ready for our spring break trip..no updates. Wah!

Boo to the computer woes!

Yay for a PR! That is awesome!

And double yay for a spring break trip! I know you've been busy so no worries. You'll get all caught up again.

But I am having coffee on the lanai in waikiii as I type and am headed to brunch, Pearl Harbor and then Aulani.

How lovely! Sounds wonderful. Pearl Harbor looks so amazing. And then there's Aulani.

Looks to be a great day!

Surely sounds like one! I hope you and the family have a great vacation!